


Don't make me remind ya of last Christmas

by Booker_DeShit



Series: Joey Disaster Studios [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Accidents, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Humor, Autistic Henry Stein, Blood and Injury, Canon Disabled Character, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Disabled Character, Eventual Romance, Families of Choice, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Lacie Benton, Good Guy Joey Drew, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Holidays, Humor, Injury, Joey in a Wheelchair, M/M, Mild Blood, Mistletoe, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Joey Drew, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wally Franks has ADHD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21733342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Booker_DeShit/pseuds/Booker_DeShit
Summary: In ‘The sneaky, sneaky game of truth or dare (& the reason Norman no longer talks to Wally)’ both Norman & Wally indulged in a healthy amount of friendly banter. During that banter, there was a mention of last Christmas. But what really went on ‘Last Christmas?’ Well, read on & find out!(This is a prequel inspired by 'The sneaky, sneaky game.')
Relationships: Buddy Lewek & Wally Franks, Joey Drew & Wally Franks, Joey Drew/Henry Stein, Thomas Connor/Wally Franks, Wally Franks & Henry Stein
Series: Joey Disaster Studios [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566352
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Don't make me remind ya of last Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The sneaky, sneaky game of truth or dare (and the reason Norman no longer talks to Wally)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19861546) by [Booker_DeShit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Booker_DeShit/pseuds/Booker_DeShit). 



Holidays at Joey Drew studios were always a big occasion. New holiday specials came out each year, & the studio would always fall victim to an onslaught of tacky decorations that the owner would inevitably always put up, year after year. There was no secret that Mr Drew loved the holidays & everything that the holidays brought with them.

“There’s just something childishly charming about it, don’t you think?” He’d often say, & who would want to argue with _him._ However, the Christmas season was an exception to this rule. For some reason, save for the few mistletoes the younger workers always hang up, the studio looked very much the same as any other day of the year. An easy explanation for that, was that Jo-jo wanted to save the Holiday spirit for the big Holiday party he threw every single year. Or maybe he simply didn’t like pine trees? And it would be a crime not to mention all the ‘oh, Mr Drew just doesn’t get along with the big G’ jokes that popped up around that time of year, which were always hilarious. Either way, it was the party that was the big part of the holidays. Every single person at the studio was invited over, with a plus one allowed. Of course, attendance wasn’t mandatory, Jo-jo was very understanding of his employees’ differences in beliefs. Even so, the party was always very packed, & when the booze was pulled out everyone enjoyed themselves. 

~~==~~==~~==~~==

“'Member tha’ one time Shawn brought ovah some European booze?” Wally mused, remembering one of the previous holiday parties hosted by Joey Drew Studios. The young janitor found himself moping an ink spill around the desk of one Daniel ‘Buddy’ Lewek a day before the Holiday party. Buddy was a short kid, barely taller than Wally, & yet he was lanky with far too long limbs, but still a bit soft round the edges. His round face was framed by a pair of big ears, with small, brown eyes & a long, pointy nose. His whole pale face was covered in freckles & moles. He had a mop of short, mousy brown hair, & when he smiled he let the whole world see his colourful braces.

“Oh, that one was fun! I’m glad Dot dragged me along to the party that year,” Buddy laughed to himself, swinging his legs, “I always thought Miss Susie & Miss Allison didn’t like each other. But what do you know?”

Wally cackled, “At each other’s throats one moment, an’ kissin’ undah a table the next,” Wally laughed to himself again, dragging his mop over the ink that would just end up staining the floor anyway, “Ya comin’ dis year? I know parties ain’t really yer thin’, but it was so fun last year!”

“Nah,” He shook his head, turning away from Wally & back to his work, “Dot & I are planning on a movie marathon over at her place. Her girlfriend is coming too.”

“Sounds fun.” Wally agreed. Although he was slightly disappointed, he tried not to show it. He really got along well with both Buddy & Dot, so he was a bit sad they wouldn’t show up at the party. He liked it when he was around his friends & everyone was having fun. Oh well, he still had the rest of his friends. Most of the Drew Crew was coming along after all.

“Are you going?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah! I can’ pass up an opportunity like dat!” He laughed again, “Not ta mention dat I finally know what Norm is like drunk, an’ I don’ wanna miss that.”

“What opportunity?” Buddy turned back to him again, suddenly very curious.

“Wha?”

“You said you don’t want to puss ap...”

“Pfft, ‘m sorry?” Buddy turned away from him as Wally begun to cackle again.

“Don’t laugh!” Buddy whined, hiding his red face in his hands, “English isn’t my first language!”

“Oh, sorry, Buddy.” Wally managed to get out between bursts of laughter. Buddy didn’t find it funny, & proceeded to fling a rubber at Wally. It hit him square in the forehead. Wally stared at it for a moment as it fell to the ground, before rubbing the red mark it had left.

“That’s what you get for laughing.” Buddy huffed, before picking it back up & erasing a line he had messed up on Bendy’s head.

“Anyway. ‘Bout tha opportunity. Tom is comin’ to da party!” Wally jumped up excitedly, beginning to stamp his feet in happiness.

“Quiet, up there!” Sammy yelled up from the lower levels, making both Wally & Buddy freeze.

“Sooooo...”

“Tom!” Wally exclaimed, clapping his hands.

“Ok. And?”

“Don’cha get it, Bud?”

“Quite frankly, I don’t.” Buddy gave Wally a look as the other laughed again.

“'Frankly’. Pfft.”

“Wally, please explain.”

“Oops, sowwy,” Wally set his mop against a wall before grabbing a nearby chair & sitting on it, “Tom almost nevah comes to da parties. He came maybe once before.”

“And this is an opportunity for you why?” Buddy asked, turning away from his work for like the third time that day.

“Caaaause, he’s mah crush! An’ I have a chance ta talk ta ‘im then!” Wally begun to bounce again, getting far too excited. Buddy really wanted to join him in his stimming though, however he was scared to smash _another_ ink well, so he held back.

“You can talk to him outside of the party. You work together.”

“Weeeell, true. But! It’s more socially appropriate ta do dat on parties, not at work. Ya don’ see Hen an’ Jo-jo flirtin’ at work, do ya?”

“Really?” Buddy gave him a look.

“Ok, bad example. But I won’ be as nervous ta ask ‘im out if I’m tipsy an’ round othah people.” Buddy nodded, suddenly understanding what Wally meant. Social interactions where hard anyway, asking someone out who you really, really like must be even harder. He was glad he was ace.

“Well, good luck. But I really have to get back to my work.” Buddy turned back to his desk.

“Wally!” And there went Wally, suddenly out of his chair & down the corridor.

“Comin’, Tommy!”

“Wally! Your mop!”

“Oh crap.”

~~==~~==~~==~~==

The day of the party came & the big celebrations had already begun. Everyone from the quiet lyricist of the Music Department to the Great Bertrum Piedmont had showed up in the big main hall in the lower levels of Joey Drew Studios. Lights were strung up everywhere, mistletoe placed in random sneaky spots by the likes of Shawn Flynn & other mischief makers. Along the walls tables were lined up, filled to the brim with punch & holiday goodness. At one wall stood a DJ table, manned by none other than Sammy Lawrence himself. A karaoke set had been set up right by his table, where currently Miss Allison & Miss Susie were having a sing off. A small group had gathered around them, including such characters as the studio’s accountant & projectionist, both very elusive figures. Off too one side, drinks in hand, Tom was conversing with Lacie.

“So, how are you & Bertrum doing?” Tom asked, as a means to start a conversation.

“Eh, we’re doin’ fine,” Lacie shrugged, “It’s... weird livin’ with someone else but its a good weird.”

“Hm.”

“Ya seen Wally yet?” They suddenly asked. The three of them often worked very close together, to the point were Lacie considered Tom & Wally to be _her_ boys. It was unusual to find Wally not hanging out with his friends & co-workers. Especially since he was friends with practically everyone at the party, yet he was no where to be found.

“I hope he shows up soon. Sammy’s planning to put a slow song on & Wally made me promise to dance with him.” Tom remarked, taking a sip of his punch. Then he grimaced. He should tell Allison to lay off the syrup next time.

~~==~~==~~==~~==

Wally was nervous. He was so bloody nervous, that he could just feel his comb slipping from his sweating hands. His pale cheeks flushed red, tears brimming in his eyes as he stared at himself in the mirror. His comb suddenly hit the ground with a loud THUNK, before Wally collapsed onto the ground. Breaking down in the little bathroom of Joey Drew Studios. He hid his face in his hands, letting his silent tears soak his shirt sleeves. His leg kicked out violently, pounding on the ground beneath him, trying to release some of that pent up stress that had bubbled over the top in Wally’s mind, yet to no avail. The light seemed too bright, burning out his poor, blue eyes. The sounds from outside seemed to be pounding in his brain, & his clothes felt far too tight & scratchy. Even his cologne, which was his favourite smell usually, was too strong in that moment, chocking him.

“Wally? Dear, you ok in there?” Wally heard Jo-jo call from outside the bathroom. He made a small keening noise in the back of his throat, curling around himself further.

“Wally?” Henry spoke up. When Wally didn’t reply, the door to the bathroom opened & Henry walked in. He placed a hand on Wally’s shoulder, gripping it tightly, but not enough to hurt.

“Henry. ‘M scared.” Wally whimpered, crawling loser to his friend.

“Why?”

“Wha if Tom doesn’ actually like me & he won’ like if I give ‘im a kiss?” Henry sat down beside him, bringing him into his arms. Wally plopped his head atop Henry’s shoulder.

“Even if that’s the case, it’s the Holidays. There’s mistletoe. He’ll understand.” Henry assured him. The older man begun running his hand through Wally’s hair, ruining the half an hour it took to tame the wild, red locks, but it was calming so Wally didn’t mind.

Jo-jo looked on at them from the door way, a gentle but sad look across his face, “He’ll love it, I’m sure.” Wally nodded solemnly. Jo-jo knelt down beside him, wiping away the tears that run down his flushed cheeks.

“D’ya think the plan will work?” He asked meekly. Both Henry & Jo-jo begun nodding their heads.

“It’s fool proof!” Jo-jo assured him.

“We distract him, you hang the mistletoe where he stands, & then you kiss.” Henry added. Wally thought it over. It was a great plan in retrospect. He should know, he came up with it after countless hours of hyperactivity & no sleep.

“Yeah, ok.” He nodded. It was going to work, of course it would. If he kept on telling himself that, it would come true.

~~==~~==~~==~~== 

The plan was truly perfect. Wally could already see it working. From his little sneaky spot not too far away from where Tom stood, he saw Jo-jo & Henry coming closer. Jo-jo was wheeling in between people with practiced ease, his special holiday dress pooling around him in the chair. Henry was staying close, at the right side of the wheelchair, with his gaze down cast & busy fiddling with a drink he wasn’t even actually drinking. Lacie had sauntered away at some point to join Bertrum & Norman at the buffet, leaving Tom alone. A perfect target.

“I am already going to say how absolutely sorry we are.” Jo-jo said when he reached Tom. The other man didn’t look impressed, leaning lazily against the wall. Nonetheless, he turned in the direction of his boss & quirked a brow.

“What do I need to go & fix?” He sighed, his voice dripping with boredness.

“The wheelchair ramp to the bathroom.” Jo-jo answered sheepishly. Wally knew well enough that the ramp wasn’t broken, it was just _like that._ Tom, however, didn’t, which would result in him spending way too long trying to figure out what he had to fix. This gave Wally the perfect opportunity to slip in, hang the mistletoe, & slip back out without his crush getting even a glimpse of his mischievous ongoings. Simply perfect.

“Yeah, yeah.” Tom followed along as Jo-jo led him towards the door & out of the room. Henry stayed back, & his gaze immediately went to where Wally was hiding.

“Get tha ladder.” Henry rushed off as Wally run out with his tool box & a bundle of mistletoe in hand.

“Oh, dis’ll be good.” From behind him Norman came up, a cupcake hanging out of his hand & frosting smeared on the tip of his nose. Wally huffed at him, deciding to ignore him. Henry came back at that moment, dragging behind him a ladder. A crowd had gathered around the two of them, muttering amongst themselves, but there was still no sign of Tom, thankfully.

“Thanks, Hen.” Then, Wally begun to climb. The ladder was an old one, still left over from when the studio was new & Wally was the only one around to do maintenance. It was a bit wobbly, but it had served him well for many years, & he trusted it to serve him even longer. So, when he was at the very top, mistletoe hanging out of his teeth & the toolbox in his hand, he didn’t understand why people started shuffling away, as far away from the ladder as was possible in the crowded room. The toolbox was set on the top step & the ladder wobbled, but Wally wasn’t deterred. It always did that after all. It, however, didn’t tend to crack when he reached up somewhere. Still, if he did it fast enough, then he surely would be ok. He was always ok.

“Wally!” The door slammed open & Tom burst through it. When Wally turned to see him, the ladder finally gave out. His heart seemed to jump into his throat, his blood freezing cold as he toppled over. With a loud CRASH, Wally ended up head-first in the dry wall, his bottom half sticking out comically.

“Wally!” People begun gathering around him again, he heard Jo-jo’s squeaky wheelchair & Norman’s heavy footsteps. He tried not to cry when he felt warm blood dribble from his nose, or when someone begun pulling him out & the wall caught on his sides painfully. When he was pulled out, Tom pressed him to his chest.

“You idiot. What did you think you were doing?” He grumbled, but his tone was worried & gentle.

“I... I tried t’ hang up some... some mistletoe.” He sobbed out.

“Party over, everyone,” Jo-jo called through the microphone suddenly, having gotten up on the stage at some point, “Thomas, please take Wally to the infirmary. Norman, Lacie? Would you two be so kind & clear up? Everyone else, please head home. I apologise for having to cut the party so short. I’ll see you all back at work on Monday.” Despite the annoyed murmurs, people started to clear out. Wally saw a few of his friends pass by, asking him if he was ok. Even Sammy told him to get better, in his roundabout way. With most people gone, Wally felt himself get picked up Tom, & carried out of the room down to the infirmary.

“I forgot to tell you that the ladder was broken.” Tom confessed once they had arrived. He set Wally down on the bed there, & begun searching the small room for a first aid kit.

“It ain’t yer fault, Tom. I wasn’ watchin’ out like always.”

“Well, that too,” Tom said with a laugh, & Wally almost laughed too, if the action didn’t make his head hurt, “What were you doing there anyway?”

“Hangin’ mistletoe.” Wally didn’t see any point in lying. Tom would find out eventually anyway. Wally sat still as Tom begun to patch him up.

“It doesn’t seem like anything more than a few bruises & a bump.” Tom said, ignoring Wally’s prior comment. He then sat down beside him, pulling the shorter man into his lap.

“Tom?” Wally couldn’t say he didn’t like the contact. He loved it! Especially when Tom begun picking out the drywall from his hair. He always loved having his hair played with.

“Don’t move.” Tom picked out another piece of dry wall out of Wally’s hair, before finally leaning in & placing a quick kiss on Wally’s lips.

“I... Uh.” Wally stuttered out, his face flushing red.

“I know what you tried to do with that mistletoe.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, & I like you too, you idiot,” Thomas sighed, kissing Wally again, “You’re just too oblivious to realise it.”

“Hehe, oops.” Wally rubbed the back of his neck. Had he been _that_ oblivious?

“It’s cute.”

“It is?” Wally shot up, looking straight (or gay more like) at Tom.

“Yes.” Then Tom kissed him again.

“Does dat mean we’re boyfriends now?” Wally asked, hope lighting up his face.

“I don’t know,” Tom replied truthfully, only to have Wally pout at him, “Don’t look at me like that. I like men, but I’ve never been with one.”

“Neither have I!” Wally exclaimed.

“Exactly!”

“But I still know tha signs of bein’ in a relationship!” Tom glared at him, at which Wally stuck his tongue out at him.

“Just... let me figure this out at my own pace.”

“Can do. We can be boyfriends-not-boyfriends.” Wally gave a hum, brushing a hand through Tom’s hair. He slipped off the hair tie at the back of his neck, letting it all loose, before beginning to twirl it in his fingers. He bit down at his lip as Tom let out a moan when he gave his hair a tug.

“Why do you like me hair so much?” He asked, completely ignoring how he had literally just moaned at having his hair pulled. Oh well, he was alone with his boyfriend-not-boyfriend after all, no need to worry.

“Love ya, Tom.” Wally suddenly mumbled, leaning forwards until his forehead was pressed against Tom’s chest. He could feel the steady heartbeat fill his whole head, until it felt as if their hearts were both beating in tandem.

“Love you too.” 

~~==~~==~~==~~==

  


“So? So? Did it work, did it work?”

“Yup. It worked, Hen.”

“Yay! Hugs?”

“Celebration hugs!”


End file.
